Workforce Development
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Strong Educators, Strong Workforce: A Shared Investment in New York’s Economic Future
Strong communities are built on a strong education system. New York State is facing a critical and escalating educator workforce crisis. Persistent shortages, high turnover, and barriers to accessing high-quality pathways in child-focused careers are leaving education agencies and classrooms understaffed. This impacts the system from early childhood through high school resulting in a widening Continue reading
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Sustainability as a Mindset
As the school year wraps up, educational agencies are grappling with a critical question: How do we build programs for sustainability in an ever-evolving landscape? In a time of shifting political winds, uncertain funding, and evolving school needs, sustainability can’t be a checkbox, it must be a mindset. As the HUB’s Director put it, “Sustainability Continue reading
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Educator Registered Apprenticeships and Grow Your Own: How Kennedy Children’s Center is Transforming Educator Preparation
At the heart of the Kennedy Children’s Center (KCC) lies a deep commitment to community—a commitment that has deeply resonated with me as I continue my journey of learning about innovative, community-centered educational programs and the current challenges faced by educators. Their leadership refused to accept traditional recruitment and training methods that failed to meet Continue reading
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Exemplars from the Field: Questar III GYO Program
guest author: Dr. Gladys Cruz “Grow your own” programs are an increasingly important way to retain educators, particularly during staffing shortages.In 2022, Questar III BOCES and the School of Education at the University at Albany, SUNY, initiated a new partnership to support teaching assistants and career and technical education (CTE) professionals interested in advancing their Continue reading
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The Moving Force of Change
Unless you are a baby with a wet diaper, change doesn’t feel so good; especially when it is pushed, or worse yet, forced from the top down. Just ask any educator who lived through A Nation at Risk, No Child Left Behind, or Race to the Top. Let’s face it, most people like things just Continue reading
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Avoiding the Vortex: the Impact of Preparedness on Retention
We get it. These are dark times in education. The teacher workforce crisis has created a palpable sense of dread for school leaders, many of whom are scrambling to shore up faculty numbers. The pool of candidates is bone dry, and though certified teachers are strongly preferred, anyone with an associate’s or bachelor’s degree and Continue reading
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“JOURNEYWORKER”, ONE WORD OR TWO?
When was the last time you heard the term “Journeyworker”, or for that matter, “Apprentice”, in conversation? Likely never if you work in the field of education where the more familiar terms for teacher pathways are “student teaching”, “cooperating teacher”, “field experience”, “state certification” and “tenure”–usually, in that order. Yet the trades and technical fields Continue reading
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Waving a Magic Wand: the Alchemy of Funding
At the Spring 2023 US Dept of Labor Eastern Seaboard Apprenticeship Conference, the question was asked, “if you could wave a magic wand and fix or add anything to the residency Apprenticeship model, what would it be?” Great question. My mind immediately reflected on the legendary Ron Thorpe, late President and CEO of the National Continue reading
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Help Us, Help You
An educator workforce crisis, years in the making, has schools and communities scrambling to find solutions as new teachers leave the profession in droves and pandemic-fatigued veterans retire to begin new life chapters. The stakes could not be higher as our nation’s democracy, Gross Domestic Product, infant mortality rate, and societal values, depend on a Continue reading
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IF NOT NOW, THEN WHEN?
“Hey, I just had my [insert subject or grade level here] teacher leave. Anyone have any candidates they’d recommend?“, asked Superintendent Avery. “Good luck with that. You’d have a better chance winning the lottery.“, replied Superintendent Robin.Are you feeling the punch line? Did you know, according to NYS TRS, 33% of NYS teachers are eligible to retire within the next Continue reading
It's a Rap 